


Big Brother

by leonheart2012



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-24 18:55:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6163231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leonheart2012/pseuds/leonheart2012
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam is freaking out because he's going to be a brother, so he calls someone in with a little experience in these matters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Liam was freaking out. He couldn’t deal with this. He’d dealt with so much over the past year, but this, this he couldn’t handle. He paced in the hospital waiting room, wondering whether he should do it. Eventually, he just sighed and tapped the call button on his phone. He jiggled his arm at his side. Every ring was torture. After the third ring, he hung up.

He dialled the number again. He was startled by his phone buzzing in his hand.

“You’ve called me four times in the last half hour, but every time I’m just about to pick up, you hang up. What kind of game is this, Liam? Whatever it is, it isn’t fair. You keep waking me up.”

“I…I need your help.”

There was a pause on the other end. “Ask Scott.”

“No! No, I can’t ask Scott. This isn’t a Scott problem. It’s a…you problem.”

“A _me_ problem?”

“Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair. “God, I don’t know how to…I’m gonna be a brother.”

There was another silence. “Well, congratulations.” He said it like it shouldn’t have anything to do with him.

“No, don’t hang up yet. I need your help.”

“With what?”

“Well, on how to be…a good brother.”

The silence stretched ever-longer. “What makes you think I’ll be able to teach you anything? I didn’t have anyone teaching me how to be a brother, and I did fine. It’s not an alien that’s coming out. It’s just another human being.”

“But…how do I hold it? What if I…what if I lose my temper and I-“

“That won’t happen Liam.” There was another silence. Brett sighed. “If it really means that much to you, I’ll be there in ten minutes, tops.”

Liam sighed in relief. “Thank you. Thank you so much, Brett.”

 

Brett was true to his word. Eight minutes and twenty-four seconds later (no, Liam wasn’t counting at all) Brett walked into the waiting room. Liam felt such a rush of joy and appreciation that he rushed over and gave Brett a huge hug. “Okay, I am here. No need to tackle me.” Even as he said it, though, a smile was spreading across his face.

“Sorry.” Liam blushed a little, looking down at his shoes.

“It’s alright. Let’s go find your mum.”

 

When they found Liam’s mother, she was in the midst of giving childbirth. Liam almost immediately walked out again, but Brett barred his path. “Nope. You want to be a good brother, you’re always there, even when you don’t want to be.”

Liam turned around again and looked at his mother, writhing in pain. He went and took a hold of her hand. She squeezed it. Liam squeezed back. There was one final push, and they heard the baby crying.

“A girl.” Liam’s step-father held the baby out for Liam and his mother to see. She had dark olive skin. It was smooth and soft. She was covered in blood, but her skin was still visible. She opened her eyes, and they were bright, wide and brown. She had a light smattering of dark brown hair on her head, and her lips were puckered and pink. The insides of her tiny hands were almost white; it looked like someone had taken an eraser and rubbed out her colour there.

Liam’s mother held her first, and Liam just smiled while he stood back and watched. “You can hold her too, if you like, Liam.” Liam momentarily freaked out and looked at Brett, who smiled and nodded. Liam just widened his eyes at him. Brett stepped closer.

He grabbed Liam’s hand and pulled it so Liam’s arm rested across his chest. “Put your other arm underneath that one. Then, hold her head in your hand.” Liam smiled at Brett and took his sister from his mother. He did just what Brett had instructed him to do. He was smiling so hard, he had to blink back tears.

Brett frowned. “Liam? Are you okay?”

Liam chuckled. “More than okay, Brett. I have a sister. God, she’s beautiful. What do I call her?” He looked up at his mother.

She shared a look with her husband. “Amy.”

“Hello, Amy. I’m going to take such good care of you.” Brett felt his heart swell in his chest. Liam was going to be an excellent brother. He voiced this opinion with great enthusiasm.

 

Liam was walking Brett back to his car. They reached it, and Liam was smiling uncontrollably. “Thank you so much for being here. I couldn’t have done it without you. That…that was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had.” Another smile spread across his face. “I couldn’t love anything or anyone more. She’s…She’s my baby sister.”

Brett placed his hand on Liam’s shoulder. “You’re going to be a good brother, Liam. You don’t have to worry about it.” Brett took a step back in surprise when Liam jumped up and wrapped his arms around his neck. “Woah, there.”

“Thank you so much. I…I want to tell everyone! Scott’s called a pack meeting for tomorrow. I’ll tell them then.”

“That may not be a sensible thing to do, Liam.”

“Why not?” Liam looked really put-out by this, but he was willing to learn from Brett, and he’d take any advice thrown his way.

“Because, your mother just gave birth. She might not want you to tell them until she and Amy have rested a bit. And Amy’s still getting used to your faces. If you tell your friends, how many of them are going to want to see her?”

“Definitely Mason, Scott, Lydia and Kira. Maybe Stiles. But I see your point.” He went to give Brett another hug, but he was pushed back.

“Liam, can you warn me when you’re about to hug me? I like to hug people back, not be assaulted, okay?”

“Okay.” Liam looked down at his shoes as he stepped forward again, holding his arms out. Brett smiled and stepped forward too, wrapping his arms around the shorter male. “Thanks again, for today. It really meant a lot to me.”

“I was glad to help you, even though you called me at an ungodly hour. But I promise, from now on, if you need me, I will be a single text away. Even if it is at three a.m.”


	2. Chapter 2

Brett met Liam at his house, ready to walk him to school. “Won’t you be late?”

“No. I’ve got a free period first. I can walk you to school and stay half-way through your first class. How’s Amy? How’s your mum?”

“They’re both doing just fine. I said hello to Amy this morning, and she held my pinkie in her tiny hand. It was precious. You should have seen her. I almost can’t believe she’s here, my sister.” Liam was smiling with such enthusiasm, he was crying again. He wiped the tears away with the back of his hand.

They walked up to the school gates and Brett pulled Liam back. “I’m going to go to school now, but I want to say goodbye properly. Have a good day at school.” Liam hugged Brett tightly and beamed up at him when they parted.

“I can’t stop thinking about her. Mostly about her sweet, angelic face.” Brett smiled with him.

“Get to class, and stop daydreaming. You still need to do schoolwork.”

“I know. I’m going, jeez.” Brett smiled and laughed at his teasing, feeling an unfamiliar pull in his chest. He looked after Liam for a moment longer, then sighed and walked to school.

 

“So, I saw you and Brett hugging today.” Mason said, obviously wanting an explanation.

“Yeah, we hung out a bit yesterday. He helped me with some stuff. I was just thanking him.”

“You can thank someone without hugging them, Liam.”

Liam sighed, running his hands through his hair. “Look, this is something…I _want_ to tell you, obviously, but it has to wait. I need…the right moment. Okay?”

“Okay, take as long as you need to figure this out, buddy, but you know I’m always here for you, if you want to talk.” 

_He thinks I’m gay._ Liam thought as he kept walking to class with Mason. “Yeah, I know.” He opened the door to his History classroom, and sat down, determined to concentrate. He would make his mother and step-father proud. Amy too.

 

As the day progressed, Liam tried really hard to concentrate, but his mind kept wandering to Amy. He thought about whether his mother would have fed her yet, if he could help bathing her when he got home, if he could help feeding her when she grew up. And then, his thoughts wandered to Brett. What _had_ their relationship evolved into? These thoughts swarmed in his mind, and he had to be pulled out of them by Mason all day.

 

Mason noticed the far-away look in Liam’s eyes, and wondered if he was thinking about Brett. He frowned as a wide smile spread across his friend’s features. He’d done that so many times today, Mason wondered if he had hit his head. He almost asked if he was okay several times, but he held himself back; asking wouldn’t get him the answers any faster.

He knew Scott and Stiles had noticed the behaviour too. Scott was especially aware of it; he could smell his happiness from a mile away. Then, during the pack meeting, Liam was smiling so hard, he started to cry.

“Woah, Liam, are you okay?” Scott asked, frowning.

His head snapped up. “What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I’m just so happy today.”

Finally, Mason couldn’t hold it in any longer. His mouth opened, and before he could stop himself, he had blurted the words. “Are you dating Brett?”

Everyone turned to him. “ _What?_ ”

“Well, he hugged him this morning, outside school. They’d walked here together, and Liam, when I asked about it, said that they’d hung out, and Brett helped him with something. I just…I know you know that’s what I think. I know you wouldn’t not tell me unless it’s because you weren’t sure about it, but-“

“Mason! Firstly, there were so many negatives in that last sentence, I have no idea what you said, and secondly, and most importantly, I _am not dating Brett_. Why would I? I’m straight. He really did just help me with something, and I’ll tell you what that something is, when I’m ready to. And if I _was_ dating Brett, I wouldn’t hesitate to tell you. I know you’d be accepting of me.”

“Okay.” Mason blushed as he scuffed his shoes on the pavement. “Then I’ll wait. I’ll try not to think about what it is, and if I do get ideas, I’ll keep them to myself.”

“Thank you.” Liam sighed and tried to pay attention again. Mason could see the struggle in his eyes, but eventually, they kept their glassy, dreamy look. The giddy smile plastered itself on his face again, and everyone turned to stare at him.

“How is it that it takes so little time for him to get to that state? He was with us just minutes ago, and now he’s completely lost to us. Maybe we should hold this meeting when he’s not so distracted.”

Everyone agreed, and they all departed, leaving Liam standing there, all alone, staring off into the distance.

 

Brett found Liam like that twenty minutes later. “Liam? Earth to Liam.” He gently tapped his shoulder, and he startled to life.

“What? Where’d the others go?”

“Others? You were the only one here, before I came. Was Scott with you?”

“Yeah, we were having our pack meeting.” Liam shoved his hands in his pockets and found a strip of paper. He opened it. _We decided to hold this meeting when you were with us_. Liam winced. “They left because I was daydreaming.”

“Amy?” Brett had been doing his fair share of daydreaming today too, but only about Liam. He was crushing on him hard, and spending this time with him wasn’t helping.

“Yeah, and…uh…” Liam blushed, and it made Brett’s heart melt. “And you. I was thinking about you, about spending more time with you, and about…this, about what…we are now.”

“We’re friends, right?” Brett really hoped he’d say no, say that they were more than that.

“Well, I think maybe…yeah, until we go further. I think, if we work on this, we can get to best friend status.”

Brett smiled, even though his chest hurt. “Yeah. Okay. So, let’s walk home, shall we?”

“Sure.” They set off together, and talked about their days. “Mason had to keep shaking me out of it. He asked me whether I was dating you. I was kind of upset by that. I mean, if I _was_ , I would definitely tell him, not wait until ‘the right time’.”

“Right. Well, I was daydreaming a lot too. I was thinking about Amy, and your mum. How is she, by the way?”

“Yeah, she’s going fine. She texted me that she’s really tired and she’ll be asleep when I get back.”

“Oh, then you should come to my place, just until our homework’s done. Then we’ll go and see them, yeah?”

“Okay.” Liam shrugged. He wanted to see Amy, but he understood where Brett was coming from. He should let his mother rest a bit before waking her up. He texted her to say he was going to Brett’s house to do homework.

Mason watched as Liam entered Brett’s house, smiling and laughing. _I thought he said…no, he would have told me. I know he would have. He wouldn’t lie to me._ He slunk away into the night.

 

Liam had just finished his homework. He looked up at Brett, who was just staring at him. “What?”

Brett startled. “Nothing. You ready to go?”

“Yeah. Ready. Let me just pack up first, okay?”

“Yep.” Brett tried to calm his racing heart. That had been really close. He reminded himself that Liam and he were just friends. Liam needed him, and he was going to be there for whatever he needed. He saw that Liam was ready to go, so he led him down the stairs.

They were standing outside Liam’s house, and Liam turned happily to Brett before hugging him. Brett returned the hug before wishing him a good night, telling him he’d be there in the morning. He sighed and walked back home. He really wanted Liam to like him back, but he knew it was probably never going to happen.

 

Liam walked up the stairs quietly before poking his head into his sister’s room. His mother was there with her, breast feeding.

He smiled and closed the door quietly. He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “How is she?”

“She’s doing just fine. But I was hoping to talk to you, Liam. Pull up a chair.”

“Okay.” He did as he was asked. “I was just over at Brett’s house, doing homework.”

“Yes. I got your text. He was the boy from the hospital the other day, right?” Liam nodded. “I would have thought you would have told Mason before anyone else.”

“Well, I thought about it, but Mason’s not a brother. Brett is. I just…I needed someone there who’d been through…something similar.”

“So you’re not dating him? It doesn’t matter if you are, I just want to know how you’re feeling, and if you’re okay.”

“I’m not dating him, and I’m fantastic.”

“You’re coping with our newest addition to the family so well, Liam. Both your step-father and I are so proud of you for that, but you can be not okay, if that’s how you feel. I just want to make sure you’re not bottling anything up, sweetheart.”

“I’m not. Well, kind of. Are you…would you mind if I told my friends?”

“Of course not. I was actually kind of wondering when they were coming. I expected Mason to become a permanent feature. Why haven’t you told them yet?”

“Well, I just thought you would appreciate the space.”

“I do appreciate the space, Liam, but this is your family as well as mine. You can tell them whenever you feel ready to.”

“Thanks.” Liam sat and thought about it for a while. “I think I’m still going to wait, though. I’d like to just…have her to myself for a bit before Mason and Lydia take over, you know?”

“Okay.” His mother had finished breast feeding, and handed Amy to Liam. “Hold her while I get something to drink.”

“Okay.” Liam smiled down at Amy as the door closed. “Hello, Amy. You look so beautiful.” He took one of her hands in his fingers. “I love your cute little hands, Amy.” Her fingers tightened their grip on his index finger. He gave a soft little laugh.

His mother was watching from the doorway. She smiled to herself as she descended the stairs. Liam would be a great brother, just like his friend had said.


	3. Chapter 3

Liam woke up and got dressed before running downstairs and meeting Brett. He almost threw himself at him before remembering what he’d said about that. “Morning Brett.” He whirled around.

“Good morning. You’re up early. We still have half an hour until school starts.”

“Yeah, well…why are you here so early then?”

“I go for my morning run at six. So, instead of getting back into bed, I got dressed and came here.”

“Oh. Maybe I could run with you sometime.” Brett shrugged. “Anyway, you should stay over tonight. I want you to properly meet my sister.”

“Okay. I’d love to. I’d just need to stop off at home. Wait for me outside your school, okay? I’ll be only ten minutes.”

“Right.” They were mostly silent for the rest of the walk. Liam was surprised by how comfortable he felt. Usually, with Mason or Scott, he would want to constantly be talking, but with Brett, he felt okay to just…be with him. Liam wasn’t going to examine that feeling in depth right then, but he put it in his ‘view later’ box.

 

Standing outside Liam’s school at this time was almost like being on the bad end of the apocalypse. It was completely deserted, and there was a scattering of leaves left from the strong winds that passed through the night previous. There was also a little bit of litter left over from the previous day. All together, it made for a rather macabre scene. “Wow. This place looks desolate. Maybe we should break in before the zombies come to eat us.”

Liam looked at Brett, eyebrow raised. “What? Don’t like zombie games?”

Liam shook his head. “Not really. I’m not into scaring myself.”

“Zombie games aren’t scary.”

“Yes they are. I tried to watch Mason playing one once and I hid behind the couch.” It was Brett’s turn to raise his eyebrow. “What? I’m not going to lie about how I react to scary stuff. Acting tough about it means you have to prove it. I learnt that the hard way.”

“What happened?”

“I had to watch ‘The Ring’ alone in my room with the lights turned off as a dare. I’m not going to lie, it was a good movie, but it gave me nightmares for nearly half a year. After the tenth night of me waking up screaming, mum told me that I was forbidden from ever hanging out with those friends again. That was before mum met dad. I was seven.”

“Oh. That sounds terrible. I think your mum made a good call. Those friends were not good friends.”

“Yeah.” He hugged Brett. “You should get going.”

Brett opened his mouth to say something, shut it, opened it again and shut it again. “Go on, say it. I bet you, I’ve heard it before.”

He was silent for another minute, trying to hold in his laughter. “Are-“ He stopped, checking himself. “Are you sure you’re not going to be scared?” He said it in such a way that sounded like he was genuinely concerned whilst still mocking him.

Liam rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure, asshole.”

“I’m sorry, the opportunity was just too good.” Liam frowned at him, his mouth a straight line. Then, he burst out laughing. Brett followed suit. They were both laughing so hard, they had to support each other. Finally, Liam pushed him away.

“Go to school, you ass.” He laughed.

“You love this ass.” Brett teased. It felt like Liam was flirting with him, but he knew it was just friendly banter. It almost put him off his game. Almost.

“Oh, yeah, sure.” Liam slapped his arm and sent him on his way. Brett hugged Liam in a final goodbye before heading off again.

 

Mason was watching the encounter from across the street. He sighed. If Liam wasn’t dating Brett, he had no idea what they were to each other. It was clear Brett liked Liam. He decided to ask Liam about it later that day.

 

Mason finally cornered Liam in the gym. “I saw you walk into Brett’s house last night. And I saw you this morning.”

Liam whipped around to face him. “Are you stalking me?”

Mason flinched back at his intensity. “No, but I’m trying to protect you.”

“Protect me? From what? Brett? Brett is perfectly harmless. We’re friends. Friends hang out with each other and hug and walk each other to school. Maybe you’re just jealous. If that’s the case, I’m sure Brett would be fine with it if you hung out with us too.” He could feel anger bubbling to the surface. He tried desperately to push it back down. He wasn’t going to get angry at his friend.

Mason frowned at him. “You don’t see it, do you?”

Liam narrowed his eyes. He hated it when Mason got all cryptic like this. “See what?”

“Oh no, not until you tell me what you’ve been hiding.”

“I’m not hiding it, I’m just waiting for the right time.” Liam huffed.

“Yeah sure, and when are you going to tell me, your best friend, something you told Brett without hesitation?”

“It wasn’t without hesitation. I almost called him…hundreds of times before actually doing it.”

“So then why didn’t you call me?” Mason was really upset, and it made Liam even more angry.

“Because you _couldn’t_ help. Why can’t you just trust me?” He screamed before slamming his fist into the wall next to him. A teacher rushed over to see that no one was hurt. She sent both Mason and Liam to the principal’s office.

 

“We’ll have to tell your parents. This is a serious slip-up for you, Liam. You know you’re on a three-warning system. Two more incidents like this, and you’ll have to find another school.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Mason still looked shocked from what had occurred.

“I just can’t believe that you…you snapped at me. You _never_ snap at me.”

Liam opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped himself. He was still angry, and he didn’t want to take it out on Mason again, so he just kept his mouth shut. He’d go for a run after school. That should get it out of his system.

“So, in order to punish you, you both have detention.”

“Oh, Mason shouldn’t have to go. It’s not his fault.”

“Alright. But that means you have to have detentions all this week, Liam.”

“I’m okay with that.” Liam was really ashamed that he’d snapped. He was determined to not do it again. He’d work on it, so that he never did it in front of Amy.

The principal nodded. “You start detentions now, during break. I’ll let you go home at the normal time today, but you’ll need to stay behind tomorrow.” He sent them on their way. Liam walked to detention, where he took a seat. He’d completely forgotten about Brett coming to find him after school.

 

Liam relaxed at the sound of his feet pounding on the ground. Suddenly, he was joined by Brett. “What are you doing? I told you to-“

He was cut off as Liam pushed him over. “What the hell? What did you do that for?” He held a hand to his cheek where a rock had cut him

“This is all your fault!” Liam yelled. Internally, he winced. He knew it wasn’t his fault, but he had no one else to blame. The anger from earlier surged to the surface.

“What is?” Brett’s cheek was already healing.

“I…you… _everything_! Mason thinks we’re dating, and I just know the others do too, and I’m-“

Brett was up on his feet. He gripped Liam’s shoulders. “Let’s deal with one problem at a time, okay? Why does what Mason think matter so much?”

“Because we’re not dating. Because...”His shoulders slumped forward. “I don’t know. Can’t you just slap me or punch me or something? Violence is easier than words.”

“I’m not going to hurt you with no reason.”

“Then I will.” Liam pulled back and punched Brett in the stomach. He felt the anger coursing through his veins and he embraced it this time, letting it give him strength.

Brett stumbled, clutching his belly. _What is he doing? Is he really trying to hurt me?_ Liam swung at him again, and Brett dodged the blow. There was no way he was going to hurt his new-found friend. He was filled with despair, though. If he was behaving like this, they were just going back to old tricks. Maybe they couldn’t ever be friends. The thought left a burning hole in his torso, and so he did all he could do; he ran.

 

Liam was going to follow after him when Scott called him back. He’d been watching everything unfold, and he felt worried for his beta. His emotions had been all over the place. He’d been so happy yesterday, and now he was a buzzing ball of anxiety and anger.

Liam immediately responded to his Alpha’s call. He shrank back, holding his head down. He could tell from the tone of his voice that he’d done something wrong. Scott kept calling to him, and Liam felt his anger ebb away.

Scott brought Liam into his arms and held him there. “What’s going on with you?”

“I…” Then, what he’d said and done hit him like a tonne of bricks. He jumped back from Scott’s embrace. “Oh God, what did I do? I-“ He looked at Scott with wild eyes.

“Go after him. Fix this.” Liam didn’t need to be told twice. He sprinted off in the direction of Brett’s house. He knew that would be where he would be.

 

Liam stood, panting, in front of Brett’s door. Any doubt that he was here was erased. He could hear him crying in his room. He didn’t bother knocking. He knew the door was unlocked. He pushed it open silently before making his way to Brett’s room. He stood over him, hearing his crying, for a few seconds before speaking.

“I’m sorry, Brett.”

Brett answered, still facing the wall. “That’s it then? You snap at me, and all you’ve got is an apology so quiet, I had to use my wolf hearing?”

“…No.” Liam looked at the floor and shuffled his feet. That had been exactly what he’d been hoping for. He didn’t know how to explain his actions, and if Brett asked him to, he had no idea of what he was going to say.

“So what now?” He turned to face Liam, so he could see the full effect of the tears on his face. “You just snuggle up to me and everything’s okay? Do you really think I’m going to gather you up in my arms right now, Liam?”

Liam knew that that wasn’t going to happen, but he wanted it to. “No, but I’d hoped that I could resolve at least a little of what I did by saying I’m sorry.”

Brett stood, looming over Liam. He was using his height to his full advantage, and Liam couldn’t blame him. “You’re going to have to do a lot better than that, Liam. You didn’t just yell at me, you punched me, several times. That _hurts_ , Liam. Not just physically, either. You scared me.”

“And you really think that’s not what _I’m_ afraid of? I am terrified that I’m…” He’d been yelling before, but now his voice dropped to a whisper. “That I’m gonna rip her apart. Every time I look at her, every time I think about her, that’s all I’m thinking about. I keep imagining her, scared of me, or dead, or covered in blood; her own blood, Brett. And yeah, punching you might not have been the best way of expressing that, but I felt threatened by Mason asking after our relationship, and I snapped, and that…that I could actually blame someone for. And then, words…violence is easier than words, Brett, and in anger, they get even harder. So I’m sorry. I am so, so sorry that I hurt you, but I…I’m starting to realise that I’m hurt too.”

“Well, for someone who’s not good with words, you certainly gave quite the speech.” There was a silence for a long time, and this one was nowhere near as comfortable as those they’d shared that morning. Liam felt like he was waiting for the guillotine to drop, to sever his head from his shoulders. He didn’t know how he knew, but he just knew that if Brett decided that they weren’t going to be friends anymore, that’s how he would feel; headless.

“Let’s go to your house to see Amy, yeah? We’ll figure it out from there.” Liam let out a sigh of relief before nodding. It was far from what he’d hoped for, but it was a start, and Liam was not going to mess this up.


	4. Chapter 4

Liam entered his house, Brett trailing after him. They’d still not talked since leaving Brett’s house, and definitely hadn’t touched. The air was a little less chilly between them, but it definitely wasn’t warm either. 

Liam froze at the sight of his parents. He knew he couldn’t escape them, so he just kept going.

“Hi mum, dad.” He kept his head low.

“Where were you? The principal told us you’d been let out at the same time as everyone else.”

“I had been, but I went for a run after school, where I ran into Brett, and I…I snapped at him too.” His head sank even further into his chest. Brett was standing behind him, and Liam felt his hand on his shoulder. He suddenly felt like crying. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to let you guys down like that, especially now that you have Amy to worry about.”

“Don’t worry about Amy right now, Liam. We want to focus on you. Why did you snap at Mason? And ‘I don’t know’ isn’t going to get you out of this one.”

“I know. But I do actually know why I reacted the way I did this time.” He paused to look back at Brett. He gave a small smile, which really did wonders in lifting his spirits. The gesture did not go unnoticed by Liam’s parents.

“I snapped at Mason because he kept asking whether I was dating Brett. I still haven’t told him about Amy yet, and he was upset because I’d told Brett before I’d told him. And besides that, he knew exactly where I’d been, like he’d been following me. It made me feel really threatened, and so I…I snapped.”

“Then, I snapped at Brett because it was easy to blame him for what happened instead of taking that blame for myself. And I have said sorry for that.”

“Okay. Well, even though you’ve acknowledged your errors, we’re still going to have to punish you. So, for one week, you have to choose one person you’re not allowed to see. Brett or Amy?”

“What? I can’t…that’s…” He was going to say that it wasn’t fair, but he knew it was. Even making the choice was part of his punishment. Things were patchy at best with Brett at the moment, but Amy was his sister. On one hand, Amy wouldn’t remember him not being there for one week, but on the other hand, Brett would totally understand if he chose to not see him for a week. And, after all, it was just a week. He could handle not seeing Brett for a week, couldn’t he?

So, he turned to Brett. “I’m sorry, but she’s my sister. It’s only one week. You’ll wait for me, right?”

Brett smiled and nodded. He was proud of Liam for making that choice. “I’ll wait for you.” He pulled Liam into a quick hug, which Liam was eternally grateful for.

“Okay, now, Liam, you’re still grounded for that week, so no Mason coming over after school, no hanging out with Scott and the others, and you’re to come home right after detention, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Right. Up to your room. Brett, stay a while, we’d like to talk to you.”

Liam tuned up his werewolf hearing as he opened the door to Amy’s room. He left it open, just to make it easier to hear. Amy was sleeping. She looked so peaceful. Liam almost cried when he shut his eyes; images of her dead or dying or afraid assaulted him.

 

“Brett, we’re worried about him, as I’m sure you can tell. Did he tell you anything…that might indicate...I don’t know…anything?”

“Yeah. He told me that he’s worried he’ll hurt her. He’s afraid that he’ll snap in front of her and be unable to control himself. He’s even afraid that he’ll scare her. I don’t think he will, though. He loves her too much.”

Liam’s mother nodded. “Now, Liam’s never been one for words, but tonight, with you, he told us more then he has in months, and then, we find out he told you even more. I’ve asked Liam if he’s dating you, and he said no. Is…was he telling the truth?”

“Why would he lie? He wasn’t lying, but why would he? I don’t get the vibe that you would be against it.”

“Oh, no, we wouldn’t be, but he might have had other reasons. Well, maybe you’re just one of those rare gems of a best friend. Well, thank you for telling us about his fears. We’ll address that later. For now, you can go and say goodbye, but then, no contact for one week, okay? Even if he texts or calls, promise you’ll not respond.”

“I promise.” Brett smiled at them and moved off to find Liam. He checked Amy’s room first, where he found Liam leaning over her cradle. “You heard all of that, didn’t you?” Liam nodded. “Do you mind that I told them about you…”

“No. In fact, I’m glad you did. I don’t think I could have told them myself.” He hadn’t turned to face Brett, but he could tell that Liam was quite teary. He placed his hand on Liam’s shoulder.

“You’re going to be okay, right?”

“I just…you understand why I chose you instead of her, right?”

“Yes. Actually, I’m glad you did. I meant what I said earlier. You have to be here for her, even when you don’t want to be.”

“It was a hard decision. I didn’t want to leave things like this with you. I…even though it hasn’t lasted long, I really value this friendship, Brett.” Finally, he turned to face him. His face was streaked with tears. “I…I really am sorry for before. I just need to hear you say that you forgive me. Please tell me you forgive me.”

Brett nodded. “I forgive you.” He held his arms out, and Liam all but collapsed into them, sobbing.

“I don’t want to be like this, I just can’t help it.”

“I know. It’s okay. We’ll work through this, okay? Hey, look at me.” He held Liam’s face in his hands. “You’ll be okay, and so will she.” Brett waited until Liam had nodded before continuing. “Now, stop being sorry for everything and go to bed. The world will still be here tomorrow, and you only have to wait a week before you can see me again, okay?”

Liam sniffed and nodded, even though he really wanted to clutch at Brett and make him stay forever. These thoughts and feelings were new, but he decided to examine them later, if at all. He did, after all, have a week to think about it.

Brett squeezed him a bit tighter before letting him go and walking out the door. Liam had the sudden and very strong urge to rush out and pull him into a crushing kiss, but he resisted it. He even, briefly, saw himself doing it. He felt his heart clench in his chest at the thought. As soon as it came, though, it was gone. He shook his head and went to bed.


	5. Chapter 5

Liam went about the next few days without much incident. He felt rather numb. He’d explained to the others that he was grounded for snapping, and as a result, he couldn’t hang out with any of them after school. He left out the fact that he wasn’t allowed to see Brett either; he thought that bit was implied. He thought about that last, sudden impulse he’d had, and the feeling of wanting Brett to stay by his side forever. He brushed it off the first few days, but as it kept popping up, it became more and more insistent. Eventually, his thoughts were consumed by Brett.

He thought a lot about the car he’d smashed, and why he’d done it. Sure, his coach had benched him for the entire season, but was there more to it than that? He’d figured out that, most of the time, he got angry because he felt threatened. Had he felt threatened by anything? It couldn’t have been that he felt that any of the other players were taking his place, could it?

He tortured himself with these questions, and he could sense his friends and family noticing how miserable he was. They shot him concerned looks, but he ignored them for the most part. His mum and dad had sat him down to ask about his fears, but he’d shut up like a clam.

He’d heard them talking about it one night. “Do you think keeping Brett away is doing more harm than good?”

“I think we’ve made a decision, and that he’s made a decision, and that we have to stick to that decision. If this was for more than a week, I’d say, definitely, let him back in, but Liam’s become dependent on Brett. He needs to be his own person.”

“But have you seen him? He’s barely a person at all. I think…they may not be dating, but I think he’s fallen in love with him. He wouldn’t be acting like this otherwise. You and I both know that.”

They’d continued talking for nearly an hour. Liam felt terrible, making them worry like that. He was thinking about it in class the next day, when he was called on by the teacher.

“Liam!” Liam startled.

“Sorry, sir. What did you..um..what are we…?” There were a few snickers from some of his classmates. He ignored them. His books weren’t even open. Mason handed him his book. “What was the question?”

“Maybe you should be paying attention, Liam. Your grades aren’t exactly the best at the moment.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I just…I’ve had a lot on my mind recently. So, uh, what was the question?”

“Who was the great commander of Sun-Tsu’s army?”

“Uh…” Liam looked down at the page, but the text was blurred. He blinked a few times, but the blurriness didn’t subside. In fact, it got worse. He kept blinking, and Mason put a hand on his shoulder. He noticed droplets of water on the pages. He brushed them away, but they were almost immediately replaced by fresh ones. He realised he was crying.

“I…I’m sorry.” He tried to brush the tears away, but they just kept coming. “I’ll uh…I’ll try to…”His tears just kept replacing the ones he brushed away. Finally, Mason stepped in.

“I’ll just take him to calm down, okay?”

“Okay.”

Mason led Liam out of the classroom and into the bathroom. “Liam, are you okay?”

“No. No. I miss Brett. I…I think I’m in love with him, and I miss him, so much. But part of being grounded is that I can’t see him for the week I’m grounded, to tell him. He’s promised not to pick up my calls or texts. Just before I was grounded, I felt…I had this urge to just…run out there and kiss him, as hard as I could. I wanted to make him stay, forever. I feel like…I feel like I can’t breathe, and-“

He completely broke down. “Yep, sounds like you’re totally smitten, buddy.” Liam gave a short, sharp laugh.

“I just…can you tell him?”

“What? No. You only have two days left. You can last another two days. If it makes you feel better, I’ll spend time with you. Okay? Just…don’t take this too harshly, okay? Two days. Two days doesn’t mean he hates you. It doesn’t mean you hate him. In fact, having two days might just make reuniting better. So, cheer up, hey? You’ll be seeing the love of your life in two days. Even if that means you won’t be seeing him today or tomorrow, that has to count for something, right?”

“Yeah. Okay.” Liam smiled and hugged Mason. “You always know just what to say.”

 

Liam was still rather gloomy, but he didn’t seem outright depressed, so Mason counted that as a success. Scott didn’t think so, and neither did Stiles. Malia, predictably, didn’t care, and Kira seemed rather hesitant to pass any judgement on the situation. Mason guessed she had a crush on Liam, despite her relationship with Scott. Lydia was off doing her own thing.

 

Liam’s parents noticed the change too, but they left Liam to his own thoughts. They had other things to worry about, and there were only two days left of Liam’s grounding. They figured that they’d fulfilled their role as parents for the time being. 

Despite being depressed, Liam had still taken care of Amy. He’d sat with her, and held her, and talked to her. Liam’s mother was pleased with all of the affection he was showing her. When Liam was with her, he seemed truly happy. She just hoped he’d continue to feel that way.


	6. Chapter 6

Two days later, Brett finally got to see Liam again. Liam decided to wait a little before telling Brett about how he felt. It was easier in theory than in practice. Just seeing his face made him want to kiss him breathless. Instead, he hugged him breathless and dragged him inside to look at Amy. “She’s grown so much since you last saw her. She’s making these beautiful noises and she’s just…she’s precious.”

Brett looked down at Amy, wondering what exactly Liam was talking about. She looked exactly the same size she’d looked when he’d last seen her. Despite his opinions, he agreed with everything Liam was saying. Liam pushed him back into a chair and gave him Amy to hold.

Brett smiled down at her. Liam was suddenly very still he looked up into his face and was met with his lips. He kissed him long and deep, curling his fingers into his hair. He kept kissing him for a long time. Then, when he broke away, he looked like he was scared of what he’d do. Brett stood and put Amy back into her crib. He took Liam’s hand and brought his hand to his cheek. He bent down and kissed Liam. He kept it soft and slow, feeling that Liam didn’t want to go fast or hard.

Liam broke away again and led Brett to his room. Once there, he gently wrapped his arms around Brett’s neck and kissed him again, and again, and again. Brett walked forwards while Liam walked backwards. Eventually, they got to Liam’s bed, where Brett lowered them both onto the mattress.

Liam arched up into Brett’s kisses. He turned them over and took off his shirt before straddling Brett’s waist. “Can I just take this moment to say how beautiful you are?” He leaned down and kissed him again, drawing him closer. He pulled Brett into a sitting position and took his shirt off too.

He kissed down his neck and over his shoulder. He felt Brett’s hands resting on his back. He kept kissing down to his chest. He wrapped his lips around one of Brett’s nipples. Brett groaned and pulled Liam’s head back. He kissed him deeply. Liam startled as his bedroom door opened. Brett had missed it, but Liam knew the telltale squeak of the bottom hinge.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realise…uh, dinner’s ready, if you two want to come downstairs, but…with shirts, please.”

“Yes mum.”

She went to leave but swung back in. “If you have sex, use protection, okay?”

“Oh, god, just go mum, please. And we won’t have sex. Not today.”

“Okay.” She was going to leave again when she turned back. “You know we still love you, right?”

“Mum!”

“Okay, okay, I’m going.”

Liam turned back to Brett, who was smiling widely. “Not having sex today, huh?”

“No, but we might tomorrow if you’re lucky.”

“Oh. And what do I have to do to get lucky, hmm?”

“That depends. I might change my mind halfway through the evening.” Brett smiled and laughed.

“It’s okay if I don’t. I would wait for you, you know? I have waited. For so long.”

“How long?”

“Hard to tell, but one and a half years?”

“That’s five hundred and forty-seven days. Tonight, I’ll give you one kiss for each of those days.”

Brett kissed him softly. “I like the sound of that.” They then pulled their shirts on and went downstairs for dinner.

 

There was a lot of awkward conversation, mostly initiated by Liam’s mother. Liam felt like just crawling under the table. Brett held his hand the whole way through, though, so he decided that he could survive it.

 

They got up the stairs and within seconds, their shirts were off. Liam kept Brett standing in the middle of the room. “Let’s see how high you can count. Show me how clever you are, Brett.” He moved behind him and planted a kiss between his shoulder blades.

“One.” Liam kissed over his left shoulder blade. “Two.” Liam took another eleven kisses, travelling down Brett’s arm. When he reached Brett’s hand, he took it and kissed each knuckle; another fourteen kisses. He kissed the tips of each finger before turning his hand over and pressing his lips to his open palm. He turned Brett’s hand over again and held it firmly before kissing it twice. On his way to Brett’s face, he kissed his bicep again, leaving at tingling sensation in his wake. “Thirty-six.” Brett whispered. He only said the numbers loud enough for Liam to hear. He said nothing else, just took what was given and said the number.

Liam smiled as his lips sank into the soft flesh of Brett’s neck. “Thirty-seven.” He kissed the underside of Brett’s jaw three times, moving forward. He kissed the left side of Brett’s chin, letting his tongue flick out and slide across the point. He kissed the corner of Brett’s mouth, then moved across to his left earlobe, sucking it into his mouth. He kissed the lower and then upper shell of Brett’s left ear, his warm breath making Brett shiver. It was only a short distance to Brett’s left temple, so he moved there next, kissing it softly. He had to stand on his tip-toes to reach it, but he supported himself on Brett’s broad, steady shoulders. Brett smiled as he counted it off. “Forty-six.”

Liam moved up to Brett’s eye, and this time, Brett had to bend his knees so that Liam could reach. Lim’s lips kissed the outer and inner corners of his eye, followed by one right in the centre of his eyelid. He kissed Brett’s brow all along its length, Brett calling another four numbers. “Fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three.”

Liam continued lower, kissing the bridge of Brett’s nose twice, then the tip once, moving across to his cheek, kissing it another four times. He kissed over the top of Brett’s cupid bow, two to each rise. Then, his lips slid down and enveloped Brett’s in a tender caress. He didn’t stop there. He kept moving down, kissing Brett’s chin. He seemed to remember that he’d forgotten something and he pulled Brett’s face down again, pressing his lips all over the left side of Brett’s forehead. He counted those, too. There were twenty of them.

Then, he dropped back down on his original path, closing his lips over the sharp point of Brett’s collar bone. He continued along it, seven in total. He kept moving downwards, kissing the top of Brett’s left breast. His thumb massaged his nipple, which was already hard, while he worked his way down to it. He left the other alone, but Brett didn’t doubt that it would get its turn. Another twenty numbers slipped past before Liam’s lips took Brett’s nipple. Brett moaned at the contact, loving the feeling of Liam’s wet tongue circling his hard nib.

All too soon, Liam moved on. Brett almost forgot to count, but Liam stopped after just one kiss, waiting for him to continue. “What number were we up to? I forgot.”

Liam smiled. “One hundred and twenty, Brett.”

“Oh, thanks. One hundred and twenty.” Liam smiled again and kept kissing down Brett’s torso. Brett kept counting this time. “One hundred and twenty-one, one hundred and twenty-two…” He gasped when, at one hundred and fifty kisses, Liam popped open the button on his trousers. “Liam…”

“Relax. This is part of the process.”

“Process?”

Liam nodded. “The process of loving and appreciating every part of your body. The process of apologising, for not just last week, but the car, the looks, the comments, everything. The process of thanking you for being in my life, for helping me with Amy. The process of giving you a chance to appreciate that, for all of the days you didn’t have me, you’ll have me for another ten.”

Brett felt himself breathing heavily. He blinked back tears. “That’s fifteen years, Liam. That’s a long time.”

“I don’t care. I want you for that long…maybe even longer. Brett, I love you. More than I ever thought I could. And I want you. I want all of you, for as long as you want me.”

Brett brought Liam up for a kiss, a kiss that lingered for a long time. “I love you too, so much, Liam. And, uh, one hundred and fifty-one.” Liam smiled and pecked him on the lips again, sinking back down to his knees as Brett said the number. He pulled Brett’s trousers off all the way, and Brett stepped out of them.

 

Liam’s mother was standing at the doorway. She’d seen Liam kissing Brett’s chest and had wondered what, exactly, they were doing. She knew Liam had said that they wouldn’t have sex, but it was hard to imagine young, horny teenagers not jumping at the chance to get sexual, so she’d wandered past Liam’s doorway several times trying to figure out if they were having sex or not. Then, she’d ventured closer. She’d toed the door open just enough so that the door didn’t creak. That was when she’d seen Liam on his knees in front of Brett, kissing his stomach.  
She’d almost stopped them when his hands went for Brett’s belt, but pulled herself back. She’d stop them if she decided they were going too far. Besides, their actions and slow, deliberate movements gave her the impression that they weren’t going to have sex, just as Liam had said. Then, she heard Liam speak.

He talked about a process, which Brett seemed confused by. She smiled when Liam spoke about how he was loving and appreciating every part of Brett. She smiled even more when Liam said he was apologising, and thanking Brett. She turned away from the door with tears in her eyes. Her husband frowned at the tears, but she brushed his concerns away. “Our baby boy is now a man. He’s taking responsibility for everything he’s done, and he’s truly fallen in love with that boy. Go and see for yourself. He’s at his feet, kissing every inch of his skin, giving him everything he is.”

Liam’s step-father embraced his wife, smiling. “I couldn’t be more proud of the man he’s become.”

 

Liam kept kissing down Brett’s body, starting at the top of his leg. He kissed his hip bone, his skin just above his thigh, both inside and outside his thigh, his knees, his calves. He went to move to Brett’s feet, but Brett stopped him. He moved them over to Liam’s bed and sat down. He felt a little bit silly, letting Liam kiss his feet, but he was ready to do anything Liam wanted to do. If this was how his boyfriend was going to show he appreciated him, he would take it. They were already at two hundred kisses, and Brett felt like his heart was going to explode when Liam lifted his foot with gentle hands and smiled at him with complete trust. He would never betray that face, for as long as he lived.

Liam started at Brett’s ankles, kissing both the inside and outside. He kissed his heel, then the inside and outside all the way up and down. He kissed the ball of his foot before kissing each of his toes. He smoothed his hand over the top of his foot with one hand and held it stretched out so that he could kiss the top of it. Liam lost himself a little bit and curled up there, at his feet, kissing and holding and caressing every part of this one foot.

Brett reached out and stroked his fingers down Liam’s cheek. Liam looked up at him, and Brett was reminded of a little puppy. His eyes were huge in the darkness, which had descended without either of them noticing, and he nuzzled Brett’s leg.

“I love you.” He whispered to him, and to his mind, it was as if he was calling out to him from across a great ravine.

“I love you too.” A flash of uncertainty crossed his face. “So, uh, what number were we up to?”

“Does it matter?” Brett was surprised by how heavy his voice was. He didn’t feel tired; he felt invigorated. He felt like he could run for weeks, but his voice was steady, firm, and deep.

Liam smiled and shook his head. “I guess not.” He crawled up onto Brett’s lap, pushing his head underneath his chin. He wrapped his arms around Brett and breathed in his scent. He smelled sweet, like lotus flowers. He commented on this. “What do I smell like?”

“Well, it’s kind of…sour, like lemons. But there’s also a bit of…I don’t know, mint, maybe. Whatever it is, I like it. It smells like I could almost drink you. Get me a glass for this short drink of soda.” He directed the last bit to the air, as though a waiter were standing there, ready to take his order.

“You’re short.” Liam retorted lamely.

“Actually, I’m really not.” Brett replied. Liam laughed and pushed him over. He pinned his wrists to the bed and kissed him passionately but softly, going more for depth than hunger. Brett pushed back into his mouth, licking his lips, seeking entrance. Liam happily obliged and let his tongue roam freely.

As they kissed, Liam searched his mind for a time when he had ever felt happier, but he didn’t find one, not even when Amy was born. Brett tried to find a moment when he’d felt as loved, or as lucky, and he didn’t find one.

They kept their promise of not having sex that night, but they didn’t sleep much either. They kissed and hugged each other until they couldn’t any more, and that was at about two a.m. Liam’s mother decided to let them sleep in a bit. She’d write them a note in the morning.


	7. Chapter 7

_Please excuse Brett for being late. He spent the night at my house after helping me with maintenance work, well into the night. I am very grateful for his contribution, especially because of the newest addition to our family, my newborn daughter. I trust that you will forgive this late arrival with the assurance that it will not happen again._

The principal looked up at Brett. “Alright. Just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“Yes ma’am. Thank you ma’am.”

“If I may, what were you doing?”

“I was helping paint the nursery. Liam’s mum wanted it painted yellow, like the sun. I can’t say I agree with the colour, but it was fun.” That much was true. To make it look plausible, she’d had Liam and Brett wake up an hour previously and paint sunshine yellow on the walls. Brett still had bright yellow paint smeared on his cheek.

The principal raised her eyebrow, but said nothing. She indicated that he could leave. He did, and met Liam outside.

“How’d she take it?”

“She was sceptical, but she’ll be okay.” He leaned down and kissed him. Chris, one of the boys on the lacrosse team, sees them and stares. “Oh no. That’s gonna be trouble.” Brett said, and Liam turned around to see him standing there.

Chris frowned and stormed down the hall. “Shit. What are you going to do?”

“I’ll deal with it. It’ll be okay.” Brett stroked Liam’s cheek, and he leaned into the touch before pulling away and looking sternly at Brett.

“Just…don’t start a fight.”

Brett sighed. “I’ll try.”

Liam frowned. “I’m serious.”

“So am I. I have no idea what he’s going to do, and if he provokes me…there’s nothing I can guarantee, but I’ll try to settle it peacefully.”

“Okay. Well, hope you have a good day.”

“You too.”

 

“What the hell did you think you were doing?” Brett closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, before turning to face Chris.

“What do you mean, Chris?”

Chris’ face was red with barely contained rage. “That was Liam fucking Dunbar, Brett, as I’m sure you’re aware. So, what the hell were you doing kissing him, huh?”

A teacher was drawn to the commotion. “Is there a problem here?”

“No ma’am.” Chris said, just as Brett said yes.

“He has a problem with who I chose to date.”

“Do you think a discussion in the councillor’s office will resolve this situation?”

“Yes,” Brett said as Chris said no. He glared at Brett.

“Okay. Then let’s make our way there.”

The whole way, Chris was glaring daggers at Brett. “What are you doing?” He hissed fiercely. Brett didn’t flinch away from his tone.

“Trying to resolve this peacefully, like I promised my boyfriend I would. Please don’t _make_ me punch you, Chris.” Chris scowled and kept walking, pointedly not looking at Brett.

 

“Okay, welcome to my office, boys. You’re lucky I was free this morning. Have a seat.” Both boys obediently sat. “So, what’s gotten you two so riled up?”

“Chris feels that I made a mistake dating Liam.”

“Liam Dunbar?” His eyebrows raised. Brett nodded to confirm. “A good kid, but I thought you two didn’t like each other.”

“Well, I always liked him. I was just disappointed by his actions. We’ve established, however, that he has very little control over his anger. So, I forgive him. I don’t know about Liam, though. Either way, we worked it out.”

“And how’s his anger control coming along, huh?” Chris asked with venom.

Brett grit his teeth. “Getting better.”

Chris raised his eyebrows. “Tell me truthfully. Did he snap at you? Did he hurt you?”

Brett frowned. “He apologised, told me why. Besides, we weren’t dating then. You just…you don’t know what happened, okay? He can’t help it. It’s not his fault.”

“Not his fault?” Chris scoffed. “Okay, then why did he snap, according to him?”

“Mason thought we were dating, and he was pestering Liam about it, and he snapped then, but he snapped at me later because it was easier to blame someone else. To blame me.”

“He snapped at _Mason_? Oh, this just gets better and better, doesn’t it? Mason probably wasn’t doing anything other than being a concerned friend, and he just lashed out? And you think he’s changed?” Chris was now standing over Brett.

Brett raised himself to his full height and scowled down at Chris. He didn’t flinch underneath the intimidating gaze. “He’s working on it.” Brett growled out.

“Why? For you?” Chris narrowed his eyes. He had his head craned back to look into Brett’s face, but he was doing a good job of not being intimidated.

“No! For Amy.” Brett stopped short and blinked. He hadn’t meant to say that, but it had just come out. He had to defend Liam, and this was the only way. He rocked back on his heels.

“Amy?”

Brett sighed. Well, he couldn’t stop now. “His sister. She was born two weeks ago. He’s trying for her.”

“It won’t change anything. You wanna know how I know that, Brett?” Chris walked forward even further into Brett’s personal space. The councillor was up, out of his seat, looking for any signs of violence, ready to step in at any time. “I know because dad said he’d stop drinking for Aaron, my half-brother. How long do you think that lasted? Aaron was three when my dad came home stumbling drunk again. He won’t ever change. That’s who he is.”

“It isn’t.”

“Fine. Believe what you will, Brett. But you’re wrong about him. I’ve seen it.” Chris shook himself and left. Brett could tell that, like himself, Chris had given away a bit more than intended. Even so, it wasn’t much. When he’d mentioned his dad coming home drunk, Brett could have sworn he was about to say something else.

 _His dad beats them._ Brett realised. An idea formed in his mind. He thanked the councillor and left.

 

 _God, that was close._ He’d almost told Brett about his dad. He would have, too, if the councillor hadn’t been there. It would have been so good to tell him, even if it was just so that if his dad killed him eventually, someone would know how he died and be able to tell the police. He rubbed his face which was red with tears and shuddered a breath in and out of his lungs.

 

“Okay. No one’s dead, so I guess you sorted it out peacefully.”

“Not exactly. That’s why we’re going over to his house. But I want you to go in without me. I’ll be ready to step in if things go South, but the outcome of this evening is completely dependent on you.”

“Okay.” Liam said slowly, frowning.

 

Liam and Brett were walking up the path to Chris’ house when they first heard the cries of pain. Liam looked over at Brett, but he just raised his eyebrows. He stared at him in shock before he recalled what he’d said earlier. The outcome of this evening was completely dependent on him.

He rushed in and saw Chris and his brother huddled on the floor, Chris protecting his younger brother with an obviously broken arm. His lip was also split. Their father was standing over them, baseball bat in his hands. It was descending towards Chris’ head at an alarming rate. Liam was sure there was enough force behind that blow to crush a human skull.

Liam, without thinking, got underneath the bat and held it up with his hand. “What do you think you’re doing? These are your sons!”

His words were met with an animalistic growl from Chris’ dad, who pushed on the bat harder, forcing Liam to his knees. Suddenly, the bat was wrenched away, and Liam fell forwards onto his hands. He could hear the whoosh of the bat descending again, and he rolled out of the way just in time. Liam jumped to his feet and slammed bodily into him.

“Run!” He shouted at the two boys on the ground. Chris dragged his brother to his feet and ran with him, hands squeezed tightly together.

Brett hid as they ran past. He would let Chris think that Liam had done this of his own accord. He ran in to help Liam. He punched the guy in the face, making him fall unconscious.

Liam turned to him, face a mask of rage. “You knew this was happening!”

“Relax. I only found out today.”

“Then why didn’t you just tell me. We could have saved Chris a broken arm! He was going to cave his scull in, Brett!”

“I had no guarantee that this was happening tonight, but I wanted you to see this. When Chris talked to me today, he told me about his dad’s drinking, about how he’d promised he’d stop for Aaron, his brother, but how he hadn’t. I wanted you to see this and promise me you will never turn into this.”

Liam recoiled at the thought, but nodded. Brett sighed and pulled him into a hug. “I won’t. I won’t ever become that.” He said softly. Brett smiled and kissed the top of his head.

“I know you won’t.” He pulled back. “Let’s go and see where Chris and Aaron went.” He grabbed Liam’s hand and started to follow the trail of Chris’ scent.

 

“You should go in alone.” They were standing outside the police station. “Talk to him. Show him how good you can be.”

Liam nodded and pushed the door open. He let the door fall shut, and he took a moment to examine Chris and Aaron. Chris was as black as charcoal. He was quite tall and thin with a frame built for running. In that, he looked like his father. He was cradling his broken arm in his brother’s lap, who was leaning against his lean frame, shaking.

Aaron looked to be about seven years old. He had lighter skin than Chris, and he was very obviously from a different mother. He had thinner lips and lighter hair. His shoulders were also set differently. He would become very big. For now, though, he cried into his brother’s shoulder, his sobs wracking his tiny frame.

Chris jumped and his eyes shot to the door when it finally closed. He relaxed when he saw who it was. “Liam, thank you. We’re just waiting for them to set up an interview room. They didn’t even need to ask.”

Liam nodded. He knelt on the floor in front of them both. “Are you okay?” He directed the question more at Chris, but it was Aaron who answered, shaking his head.

He raised his eyes to meet his brother’s. “Can I?” He whispered. Chris gave a small smile and nodded. Aaron, being very careful of his brother’s arm, slid off his lap and hugged Liam. Liam shifted so that he was sitting cross-legged on the floor. Aaron sat in his lap and relaxed against him. Liam wrapped his arms around him.

The officer came in and eyed Liam suspiciously. “Are you a friend of these two?”

“He helped us get away. Why did you, by the way. We don’t know you. You don’t know us.”

Liam shrugged. “It was the right thing to do. Because I could. And do I even need a reason? Couldn’t I have just done it because I wanted to? Besides, a second later, and you would have…He was going to kill you Chris. That bat was coming straight for your head, with enough force to cave your scull in. Your brother was hurt and scared, and your own father was going to kill you. So I helped.”

“Okay, well, we’re ready for them now, so, are you coming in or not?”

Liam looked at Chris. “That depends on him.”

Chris shook his head. “We’ll be fine.” Liam nodded and left the two of them in the care of the police. Chris led Aaron into the next room, and Aaron gave him this tiny, adorable wave as he disappeared around the corner. Chris came back and gave Liam a big hug. “Thanks again. I…I was wrong about you. Brett let slip you have a sister. Be good to her.” Liam nodded. Chris left him with a final pat to his shoulder.

Brett joined him a while later. Liam hadn’t moved from where he’d been standing. His cheeks were wet with tears. “They didn’t deserve that.”

“No one ever does.” Brett said gently. Liam turned and pressed his face into Brett’s chest.

“He’s seven years old, Brett. That’s…” He tried to say more, but he couldn’t find the words. Instead, he let his tears come in what felt like rivers. Brett held him until he’d completely cried himself out. Then, he took Liam out to his car, which he’d brought around while Liam had been talking to Chris.

 

When Brett entered Liam’s house with Liam cradled in his arms, he was met by one angry mother. “Where have you two been?” She demanded.

“We went by a friend’s house, but his dad was beating them. Liam stepped in to help, and Chris and his brother got away safely, thanks to him. I was a bit too late to be of much help, but I’m just glad they got out in time. From what Liam said, Chris’ dad was going to cave his head in.”

“Oh, that’s terrible. Is he okay?”

Brett wasn’t entirely sure as to whom she was asking about, but it didn’t really matter. All four of them were okay. “Yeah. Liam redirected most of the damage. He did catch a quickly descending bat in his hand, though, so you might want to take a look at it later. He’ll be fine, though.”

“Well, take him upstairs. I’ll get George to take a look at his arm in the morning.”

Brett nodded and took him upstairs, lying him on his bed. He took Liam’s jeans and shoes off and tucked him in. Liam barely stirred. When he came back down, Liam’s mother was waiting for him. “Thank you for bringing him home.” She wrapped him in a hug, and Brett choked back tears as he remembered his own mother doing the same. Liam’s mother noticed. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just…my mother used to do the same thing. She was shorter than me, so I’d have to pick her up when she wanted a hug. She always joked that she liked hugging Lori more, because they were the same height.” Brett sniffed. “She died in a house fire when I was nine.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

“It’s fine.” Brett went to leave, but Liam’s mother stopped him.

“You should stay the night. Sleep with Liam. I think you could both use the comfort.” Brett thanked her with a small smile and slipped up the stairs. He crawled into bed behind Liam and wrapped him in his arms. Comforted by the smell of Liam, Brett fell into a deep sleep very quickly.


	8. Chapter 8

Brett woke to the sound of Liam screaming. "No! No! Don't hurt her!"

"Liam! Liam, it's just a dream, love. It's okay. It's just a dream."

Liam woke up thrashing, but calmed a bit at the sight of Brett. "I dreamt...I dreamt..."

"It's okay. Come on, let's wash your face, get you to calm down a bit, yeah? Just breathe."

Liam nodded, breathing heavily. Brett picked him up and carried him to the bathroom. He set him down on the toilet. "There you go, love. Now, tell me what you dreamt."

Liam cupped his hands underneath the flow of water and splashed his face before answering. "I dreamt that Chris' dad was attacking mum and Amy." He said shakily.

Brett nodded. "You wanna see her?"

"Yeah."

"You alright to do that on your own?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to."

Brett nodded and took Liam's hand. He led them to Amy's room. Liam swallowed heavily, reluctant to see if his fears were well-founded. Brett put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Liam sighed and stepped forward, peering tentatively into Amy's cot, sighing happily when he saw her, alive and whole. He turned back to Brett, embracing him. "I don't want to live in fear, Brett. I _will_ learn control, and I will protect her. And I think it's time to tell the others. I'll call them here."

  


Half an hour later, the whole pack was there. Kira was with Scott, sitting so close they might as well be attached, Malia and Stiles looked a little grumpy, as if they'd just had another argument, and Lydia was talking quietly with Mason, sitting on one of the couches. Liam and Brett were standing in the middle, the others looking at them quizzically. "Okay, thanks for coming guys. Two weeks ago, I asked Brett to help me with something. And now, I am finally ready to tell you what that was." He took a deep breath, feeling the comforting weight of Brett's hand sliding into his. "I'm a brother."

Mason was, of course, the first to speak. "Suddenly, your comment of 'you couldn't help' makes sense."

"That's great!" Scott said, and hugged Liam. "But why did you need Brett's help?"

"Because he _is_ a brother. He'd been through that before, so he could give me advice. He was really helpful."

"And Liam was very grateful." Brett chirped. "He was so happy when I showed up that he practically attacked me with hugs. Almost knocked me over." Liam blushed, and Brett kissed his temple quickly. "Why don't you bring her down?" Liam nodded and disappeared upstairs, coming back a few minutes later with Amy swaddled in blankets cradled in his arms.

"Wow. She's beautiful. What's her name?" Mason asked.

"Amy." Liam replied, placing her in Mason's arms.

"Why didn't you want to tell us, though?" Stiles asked, frowning.

"I wanted some time to spend with my sister. Besides, I don't think my mum would have appreciated having six extra people in her house, just after she'd given birth, yeah?"

"I suppose that makes sense."

"I...I kind of already knew. My mum talked to your step-dad, and he told her, and I guess she just assumed that I'd know, and she was talking about her."

"Yeah. That's okay. It's not like I was never gonna tell you or anything. You were gonna find out sooner or later. But thanks for not saying anything."

"No problem. Didn't think you'd want me to."

Liam turned back to Mason, but his arms were empty. Lydia was now holding his sister, having taken her from Mason's arms almost immediately after she was put there. "It's so good that in all of this death, we can still appreciate new life." They all agreed, thinking back on all the people they'd lost. "Anyway, let's cheer up. This is a happy occasion."

"Yeah. Okay. Let's focus on those hands for just a minute. They're so cute." Mason said.

"That's what I thought when I first saw her. I love her colour. She looks like dad."

Brett slipped his arms around Liam's waist, resting his chin on top of his head. "It's nice to see everyone so happy." He whispered.

"Yeah." Liam whispered back, smiling. Mason saw them and smirked. "What?" Liam asked.

Mason chuckled. "You look like you're married. I mean, you just brought us a baby, and now you're smiling together, looking like proud parents. Seriously, you're only in high school."

"Don't worry Mason. I'm not gonna get married and have kids before we get out of high school. I'm not ready for that." Liam said, blushing a deep red.

  


"Bye guys! See you at school tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah! See you!" Mason called back, waving goodbye. Liam smiled and shut the door, pleasantly surprised when he was pushed up against it.

"Now that we're alone, I wonder what we can do." Brett said cheekily, pressing his knee between Liam's legs, pushing at his crotch.

"Well, we could watch a movie." Brett whined, shaking his head. "Maybe we could go for a walk down to the park." Brett moaned in frustration, pushing his face into the crook of Liam's neck. "We could make a pillow fort."

"You're heading in the right direction." Brett smirked.

Liam felt his face heat up. He reversed their positions, pressing the flat of his palms into Brett's stomach. He pressed his lips to the hollow of his neck. "We could...finish what we started two days ago." Brett whined again, pushing his hips forward. "Hey, you said you'd wait." Liam teased.

"I changed my mind." Brett pleaded.

"So, tell me what you want." Liam was surprised he was exhibiting so much control. All he really wanted to do right now was get sexual, but he wanted to see how Brett would handle this. He could feel that Brett was achingly hard, and he knew he was too.

"Please, Liam. Please, take me." Liam was surprised. He'd have thought Brett would have wanted to be inside of him, rather than the other way around. Liam looked up into Brett's eyes, and saw a flash of vulnerability.

"How long have you wanted that?" Liam whispered against his skin.

"Since I first saw you." There was a pause. "Will...will you do it?"

"Yes." Liam breathed. He tangled their fingers together, pulling him up the stairs. All thoughts of being taken fast and hard had vanished. When they got upstairs, Liam slid his hands underneath the hem of Brett's shirt. He kissed him, and it felt different than all the other times. It was just as soft and tender, but something had changed. _He's given me control._ Liam realised.

Brett slipped his shirt off, lifting his arms high above his head. Liam ran his hands over Brett's toned torso. He'd never tire of seeing the taught skin, of feeling it underneath his hands, his lips. Brett tugged at his clothes, asking if he could pull them off too. Liam smiled and nodded, the material pooling on the floor. They stepped away from the discarded items, moving towards Liam's bed.

Liam gently pushed Brett back onto his mattress. He kissed his way down Brett's torso, doing whatever he felt was right, and he slowly worked his way towards sex. When he did get there, he was so happy, he thought he might burst. Brett looked up at him.

"I know we've only been dating two weeks, but-"

"Shh." Liam said, kissing Brett. "I know."


End file.
